Survivors
by Elly-SVU-Fan
Summary: This is the sequel to Unsuspected Abuser. Olivia is back after two years and it takes her some time to readjust. This isn't helped when she catches a case where Elliot's family are the victims and he is brought back into her life. Can she find peace and help him after all he has done? Set in S10 with Amaro and Rollins who had been brought in early to replace Olivia and Elliot.
1. Chapter 1

**Right guys. I know I said that you were going to have to wait till Christmas for a sequel, but I've changed my mind. It may take me a while to update and for now this chapter is only a pilot. Just to give you the heads up this is set around season 10 and Amanda and Nick were brought in early to replace Olivia and Elliot. Hope you enjoy and please drop me a review! Also thanks to Olivia E. Bensler** **for her thoughts on Unsuspected Abuser. Go and check out some of her stuff... It's good! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 1: A Ghost Among Us**

New York was just beginning to change. Everywhere you looked leaves fell away from the trees as they changed from green to gold. Winter was far away but still a slight chill hung in the air that indicated its presence was soon to be seen. As pretty as it may have appeared, dusk was settling firmly upon the city and people pulled there coats around them as they rushed home past darkening side streets. Huge crowds of people walked together, pushing and jostling to get to the warmth of their houses. Amidst all this though, one women walked slowly, dawdling through the the streets and past the closing shops. She looked as though she had nowhere in particular to go and unlike many others her head was not facing down towards the pavement. She looked happy and relaxed and if you didn't know you could have easily mistaken her for a tourist, but to the the well trained eye it was clear from her confident manner and sense of direction that she was at home within this vast city.

She walked with an air of authority and her face appeared kind and welcoming, not that any of the preoccupied New Yorkers seemed to notice. She was wrapped up in a coat and a scarf was wound around her neck before being tucked into the top of the coat. She looked mature, yet her face looked young and rejuvenated, and it was as though she had been on a long holiday and had captured the sun within her eyes. She continued walking throughout the streets and they began to calm as many people were now home. However, like any city life was still present within the now almost dark streets.

She entered Central Park as the night finally took hold. She was alert but relaxed and she steered clear of anywhere away from the footpaths. Occasionally she would smile at the late night dog walkers and other people that seemed to enjoy the park later on in the day. It was just gone seven and was the perfect time. All the hustle and bustle had died down but it was still to early for the criminals of the city to take over. Or so she thought.

She was still walking when she heard yelling. Nobody else was around and she contemplated calling the police. Suddenly though, the yells turned to screams and the woman knew she had to act fast. She listened for a second and her hearing told her the sound was coming from the trees to the left. She pulled out her cell and prepared herself to call the emergency services. Another scream rang out and the woman ran towards it, stumbling slightly on the undergrowth. She didn't stop to think as she came across the scene. Pinned to the ground was a women fighting against her attacker, his pants were pulled down and she was fighting to get away from him. The woman flung herself at the man and dragged him away from the girl on the floor. He was strong and fought against her, bringing his arm up around her neck and pinning her to a tree. His eyes looked wild and possessed, but instinct kicked in and she brought up her knee to meet his crotch. Within the second he was distracted she turned away a brought her elbow up to his face. She heard a satisfying crunch as he slipped to the ground. Unconscious...

By this time the person on the floor had sat up. The woman turned to her, panting, and realised she was younger than she had first thought. Fourteen, fifteen maybe. The women sat beside her and consoled the crying girl as she brought the phone to her ear.

"Police please."

xxxxx

Not far away at the 1-6, Captain Cragen left his office and entered the well lit squad room, it hadn't changed much since he had lost his best detectives two years earlier. One was recovering from a bad time in his life and was doing well. The other he hadn't heard from since she had left. Now, at their old desks sat two rookies, but they where good at their job and had picked up what they needed to know quickly. He turned to them now shouting commands.

"Amaro, Rollins. The cyber rapist has shown up again. There's a fourteen year old at Central Park right now. Get your asses down there."

"Yes captain" Came a speedy reply.

"Oh and by the way a citizen has done your job for you. The guys that attended the call said they had picked up a women who knocked the perp out and tied him to a tree with his own rope before he did any damage."

The two detectives looked at each other and raised an eyebrow in silent admiration for what appeared to be one gutsy woman. They had been on this guys trail for weeks and weren't even close to catching him or any of his friends. There was a whole gang of them and from what they gathered they would pretend to be someone else online before arranging a meeting. It had gotten worse though. Not only were they preying on young girls and attacking them in the park but they had now escalated to kidnap. This girl had gotten lucky thanks to a complete stranger and hopefully this guy would spill the beans on where the rest of this pedophile ring were hiding out.

Both the detectives picked up there coats and headed to the park. It was swarming with squad cars and cops when they got there and already the crime scene was being investigated. Amaro walked over to the most authoritative character there with Rollins behind him.

"Hey I'm detective Amaro and this is detective Rollins can you tell us what happened here?" He asked, showing his badge.

The man scanned his badge quickly before replying. "Perp meets up with the girl and drags her into the bushes. She screams and the witness runs over and knocks him out cold before calling us. Both the perp and the victim are at mercy along with a couple of my men and the witness is over there." He stated before pointing. "She deserves one hell of an applause for what she did. She's got more guts than me, that's for sure."

Both the detectives turned to look at where he was pointing and saw a women standing there with a blanket around her. If Amaro had to guess he would say she was in her early forties, but she looked fit and healthy. She had longish, dark brown hair and was fairly tall and well built, yet slim. She had a small cut above her eye, but for a civilian who had just caught a rapist she appeared calm and controlled. He left Rollins talking to CSU and walked over to her bearing his small, polite, detective smile.

"Evening mam" he started. " I was wondering if I could ask you a few quick questions?"

She didn't say anything, but just nodded at him to continue.

"I was wondering if you could come down to our office, I'm sure you'll find it more comfortable."

"Where do you work?" The woman asked suddenly. Her response and question caught him off guard. It was a strange question for a witness to ask. She definitely didn't look like she had anything to hide.

"I'm detective Amaro from the Special Victims Unit mam. Down at the 1-6. Is that a problem?" He asked.

He watched as a flash of recognition crossed her eyes and she hesitated slightly, before eventually shaking her head and agreeing to come with him. Amaro smiled to her before calling over to Amanda and saying they needed to go back and interview the witness. She jogged over to him smiling, before turning to the woman standing next to him.

"Hi I'm Amanda Rollins. How you holding up?" She said comfortingly. The woman smiled back before saying she was fine and then they left together. Within minutes they were back at the squad room. Amaro sat the witness down in the nice interview room, whilst Amanda went to get her a cup of coffee before going to update the captain.

"Hey Cap. Just to let you know we got the witness next door and the vic and perp are down at Mercy." She said

"Fin and Munch are down there now getting it sorted. Get the witness statement quick so we can all go home." He sighed in reply. Amanda nodded before walking next door to see how far Nick had gotten. It was clear from the paper in front of him that he'd already got the witnesses name and a few other details.

"So miss can you tell us what happened?" Nick asked.

The woman took a deep breath before starting. "I was walking through Central Park when I heard shouts. I was going to call the police but then the shouts turned to screams and I knew if I didn't do something then someone was going to get hurt." The woman sighed and carried on. "I ran into the bushes and I saw the young girl beneath the guy. She was struggling against him. Crying and screaming. He had his pants down so I wrestled him off. He pinned me to a tree and I kneed him hard then elbowed him in the face. He was out cold so I rang you guys. That's about

Admiring her modesty Amaro thanked her, sensing she wanted to leave quickly. It was as though she had been here before and knew what it was all about. She stood up quickly before going to leave. Her face was flushed and she kept her head down low. Nick and Amanda followed her out into the squad room when suddenly the captains door opened. For a moment Cragen just stood there, staring at the witness. He looked like he had see a ghost.

"Olivia?" He whispered.

"Hey, captain." The woman replied back.

 **Please tell me what you think and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 2: You Sly Old Dog**

For a moment the whole room was in silence as the four people just stood there. Both Amanda and Nick bore puzzled expressions on there faces as they tried to understand why Cragen was looking at this woman as if she were his long lost daughter. Nick couldn't hold in his curiosity much longer.

"So I take it you guys know each other?"

Cragen didn't turn to look at him. Instead he laughed slightly and smiled.

"I guess you could say that." He replied

The woman standing in front of him laughed at his words and when she laughed her face lit up and you could see small creases around her eyes, but she was stunning all the same. She slowly stopped laughing and looked around the squad room before returning her gaze to Cragen.

"It's not changed a bit captain... How are Fin and Munch?" She asked.

"You've not changed much yourself Olivia, and the guys are good. They miss you." Cragen said.

Amanda and Nick just stared at him for a few seconds trying to figure out who this mystery woman was and how she knew so much about the squad. They could see she clearly meant a great deal to the captain and that meant a lot in their eyes. This woman, sorry Olivia, was clearly of great importance, and they were desperate to find out who she was. Cragen saw the look in their eyes and decided it was time to answer their unspoken questions.

"Nick, Amanda." He started "This is Detective Olivia Benson, one of the best Special Victims Unit detectives there has been and a very close friend of mine."

Something clicked in the minds of the two detectives. They had heard of her before and she seemed to many a bit of a legend. The few times that Munch and Fin had spoken of her they both had appeared emotional and sad. From what they gathered she had had a rough time with her old partner and had walked away. They also knew that she was a bit of a badass and now felt a little intimidated.

"Well nice to meet you properly detective." Amanda said, smiling.

Olivia nodded at the two of them and returned the smile. Cragen told the two detectives to finish writing up their reports and then go and get some rest. They both nodded then left. Cragen motioned Olivia into his office.

"They seem good." Olivia stated as she sat down, looking to where Nick and Amanda had just stood.

"They are." Cragen sighed

Olivia looked at him "Its a bit surreal being back here. I'm not gonna lie to you cap." She breathed

"You're not the only one who's finding this a bit surreal. I can't quite believe that your here Olivia." Cragen sighed again "You didn't intend on visiting us, did you?"

Olivia shook her head slowly as she sat there taking it all in. It was so strange. The way that nothing had changed. It smelt the same, if not stronger than it did before. That slightly musky smell of old papers, and coffee, and sweat. It was good. Her desk hadn't moved although it clearly belonged to Nick or Amanda now, and neither had Fin's or Munch's. She could tell by the unorganised state they were in. The new detectives seemed to fit in as well. It was like returning home to a place she had never really left.

"I'm good captain. I've met some brilliant people and made some real friends but there has always been something missing. Today when I heard that girl crying it was like I'd found the missing piece and I knew I had to help her. It was never my plan to return, but when Nick told me where he worked it was like there was something drawing me back in you know?" Olivia finally sighed.

Cragen did. You can take the girl out of the police force, but with a woman like Olivia you could never take the police force out of the girl.

"You've not changed one bit Olivia. You're still the same Badass Benson." He laughed

Olivia laughed too, and in that moment she realised something. She had missed this. She had missed this strange dysfunctional little family. She had missed helping people, helping victims. She didn't want to hide from her past anymore.

"Why are you here Olivia?" Cragen asked her, going all serious for a moment and interrupting her thoughts. "Why didn't you just help that girl, call the police then run? You knew we would be picking up the call. You knew if you stayed you would be seeing us again. Is that what you wanted?"

Olivia exhaled and blew away the hair from her face. This was the one place she didn't expect to be tonight. She didn't know how to answer his questions or what she wanted. She stared past Cragen and out through the window behind him. Even the view hadn't changed. Outside, New York City stretched on for miles, glittering against its backdrop of a dark night sky. It calmed her and she smiled slightly. Suddenly she knew what she wanted, and why she had made this trip.

"Hey cap." She said "Is my old job still going spare?"

.

.

.

.

.

For a second things seemed to slow down. Cragen smiled at her and walked behind the desk that he had been leaning on. He pulled open a draw and brought out a badge and a gun. Olivia gasped when she realised what they were.

"You kept them?" She whispered in shock

"Why wouldn't I?" He replied "You never really left."

xxxxx

Cragen agreed to let her stay the night. She would grab her things from the hotel in the morning before finding an apartment and getting all of her stuff from storage. Everyone had left as she settled down in the cribs. They where as lumpy as ever but for the first time in a long while she felt comfortable. She closed her eyes and rolled over, her body automatically adjusting to the fact that New York never really got dark or quietened. She sighed contentedly but there was still one thing she hadn't made right yet. Elliot.

She had moved to California to get as far away from New York as possible. The sun had done her the world of good and she enjoyed her job as a youth worker. Along the way she had heard that Elliot had been released, but had tried to think nothing of it. She had begun to love California and would always see it as a second home. She had made some good friends and some even knew about her backstory and where she came from, but there was no denying she missed that backstory and the friends she had in New York. It had been two years since she had spoken to most of them. Fin, John, Cragen, Melinda, Casey, Alex, Huang to name just a few, and she felt guilty about that. Olivia smiled to herself as she drifted of to sleep, her last thought being how surprised they would all be when they saw her.

xxxxx

It wasn't long before she got to see some of their reactions. She woke up early at about half six and went and got herself a cup of coffee. As she sat there Cragen walked in and smiled at her.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

She nodded at him and he beckoned her into his office. He sat her down and gave her a quick update about what had been going on since she had left. He discretely left Elliot out of the conversation, just to be on the safe side. She seemed stronger and more sure of herself than he had ever seen her and he knew that she had been as happy as she could be with the situation that Elliot was in when she left, but he didn't want to go and upset her on what was effectively her first day back, however strong she was.

The carried on talking for a while. Olivia told him about California, Cragen told her about New York and both continued to talk as the sky grew lighter. It wasn't long before they both heard voices. Cragen told Olivia how he had told everyone to get their asses in here and show up early, which Fin wasn't to pleased with. The two laughed at that last piece of information. Cragen stood up and walked out of his office telling Olivia to wait whilst he went out to talk to the squad.

"Hey cap. You gonna tell us what this early morning thing is all about or what?" Fin questioned.

Cragen laughed at him. "Good morning to you too Fin. I brought you all in early as we've been issued a new detective."

Amanda and Nick glanced at each other with an almost knowing look, whilst both Fin and John rolled their eyes and sighed.

"Captain, as much as I respect you I think having to deal with a new rookie again will see me six feet under." John said in his intelligent way.

"I'm sure you'll all give her a warm welcome and look after her" Cragen said ignoring John and staring at the two more experienced detectives. The two stared back at him and groaned but Cragen dismissed them again, he turned to his office and shouted.

"Detective can you come out here a minute!"

Olivia took a deep breath and grinned to herself. She raised her head and ducked out of the office into full view of the squad room. For a moment there was silence as she stood next to the captain.

"Hey guys..." She breathed "I'm back."

xxxxx

All of a sudden the squad room seemed to come alive. Fin and John got up and out of their chairs quicker than ever before and flew over to Olivia, wrapping her in hugs. Fin squeezed her tight and lifted her off the ground slightly whilst saying over and over again affectionate things like "Olivia Benson you sly old dog." Or "Where the hell have you been." Whilst John hugged her tightly as well, slightly speechless. Everyone seemed to be laughing, even Nick and Amanda who had already accepted her as an important part of the squad.

Olivia Benson was home, and she wasn't leaving anytime soon.

 **Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews so far :) Please keep them coming. They're one helluva confidence boost!**


	3. Chapter 3 Old Happenings

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **Chapter 3: Old Happenings**

For a short while the members of the squad felt an almost festive feel within the air. It was as if a well loved family member had returned for the holidays and everyone was happy to see them. They all caught up for a while and Olivia got to know Nick and Amanda and she liked them. It was decided that for now the pairings would stay the same. Fin and Munch, Nick and Amanda, and finally Olivia and the new guy that Cragen was bringing in. Some rookie called Carisi, but Olivia didn't mind that. Around midday they called in a takeaway and all sat eating together. Olivia thought about how little the dynamics of the place had changed. It was still dark and often somber but that deep sense of belonging to a family remained and she was glad for that. It brought her home.

She was glad now that she had taken the decision to return home. She felt safe here and it was as though all the bad things that had happened with Elliot didn't matter. At the end of it all she was where she needed to be. Helping victims. She still had her squad surrounding her and so many of the faces had stayed the same. Later that day Cragen called Casey over to talk about a case and intentionally forgot one important detail. Olivia hid out once she arrived and stood outside his office, listening to them talk business and for her cue. She got it when Cragen stated it was time for Casey to meet the new member of the squad, and Olivia heard how she, like Fin and Munch, wasn't too happy about having to deal with a rookie. Olivia thought to herself 'now is my time to shine' and she stepped into the room just as Casey turned around.

For a moment Casey just stared at her, her mouth slightly agape. This was the woman she had said goodbye to nearly two years ago, her best friend, and more importantly the woman who had said she was never coming back. Her eyes watered slight at how strong Olivia looked and at how her scars had virtually gone. Olivia laughed when she saw this and pulled Casey into her arms. She squeezed her tight and it was as if her touch brought Casey back down to earth.

"You're back" she whispered

"I'm back." Olivia laughed in return.

For a moment Casey stared at her again, silenced. There was a slight frown in her forehead and her eyes appeared sad.

"Are you staying?" Casey asked again.

"Well I was planning on making a stop off at the shops and then the park so..." Olivia stated with a mock seriousness.

Casey glared at her and Olivia broke out into fits of laughter at her face.

"Of course I'm staying you fool. I've gotta show the new guy the ropes." Olivia grinned.

Casey returned the smile before squealing like a teenaged girl. She spun out of the door already planning a get together with her, Alex and Olivia. Alex didn't work for the city anymore but they were still in close contact and she was bubbling with excitement at telling her that Liv was home.

xxxxx

It was getting late, the squad was just catching up on some paperwork and as Olivia hadn't been around she had none to do. As well as this there had been no new cases, so instead she sat there clicking her pen, bored. Amanda, who was sitting across from her and opposite Nick, noticed this. She was intrigued by this somewhat experienced detective and got the sense that she knew a thing or two. The detective in her was curious about her past and why she had left in the first place, and she couldn't control her curiosity much longer.

"So Liv. What made you leave SVU in the first place?" She asked.

Olivia drew in a sharp intake of breath and the room silenced. Fin shot a warning scowl at Amanda and she got the sense that it was something dark that had made Olivia leave in the first place. She also got the sense that she had overstepped the mark.

"I'm sorry." She said to everyone before looking at Olivia. "I didn't mean to intrude, it's not my place."

Olivia looked at her then shook her head.

"No it's okay." She sighed "I was gonna have to tell you at some point now that we're working together."

Suddenly the whole squad room was plunged into a respectful silence. On the edge of their seats and waiting to hear her next word. This woman was something of a legend to them as well as her old partner Elliot Stabler and some even knew most of the story, but most didn't. Olivia took a deep breath before starting, as if to compose herself.

"My ex partner was my best friend. We always had each other's backs and for a while I trusted him with my life. He had some problems with his anger and was a bit macho, but he was a good cop and a good dad to his kids. He was good to me too, but then his marriage broke down. He wasn't seeing much of his kids and he got a bit depressed. He drank to block the pain out and it all got a bit too much. His anger just took over. It wasn't bad at first, but then he threw me into Cragens window and left me for dead. Everyone found out and we tried to hunt him down but he got to me first. He and his mates kidnapped me and it wasn't good. I still hadn't fully recovered from the last time and I got septicaemia. I managed to get a message out to the guys and they found me, but Elliot freaked. He threw me over the edge of a boat and I nearly died. I was in the hospital for weeks but even after all that I knew El wasn't a bad man, he was just in a bad situation. He needed help not a prison sentence. So I asked for leniency at his trial and the judge listened. He got help and I think he's out now. That's about it."

For a while, it was as if the whole building had silenced. Nobody could comprehend how laid back she had been whilst saying it. She spoke of her own kidnap, her own brutal attack, her own near death, and yet she seemed so calm. Each and every person in the room admired her for her strength, honesty, and determination. For a while everyone felt as if this were a moment when words were not needed, but eventually Amanda spoke.

"Wow" she breathed. "I'm so sorry."

Olivia just smiled a sad, half smile at her.

"Don't be." She said "I'm not. It has made me who I am. It has made me stronger."

 **Sorry it has taken me a while to upload. School sucks:/ anyway I know it's short but please drop me a review and tell me what y'all think:)**


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